ELMHURST, Ill., November 19, 2018 – Elmhurst resident Ralph P. Pechanio, long-time supporter of the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry, is among 200 veterans statewide chosen by the Illinois Department of Veteran Affairs as a Bicentennial HONOR 200 recipient.
Pechanio and 199 other veterans will be honored at the Illinois Bicentennial Office’s 200th Birthday Celebration to be held at Chicago’s Navy Pier on December 3.
“I am honored to represent the veterans of Elmhurst,” stated Pechanio. “I have only one regret: I wish that I knew of (my) nomination so that I would’ve been able to offer other deserving Elmhurst veterans as nominees. I am sure that Elmhurst could’ve had multiple honorees, like some of the communities. That being said, I will continue to do my best to be a credit to all who have served from Illinois and come home to make significant contributions.
“‘Always Remember’ those who served but didn’t come home, and those who did who are in need of our understanding and support,” added Pechanio.
Nominated by the City of Elmhurst with the support of the Elmhurst Chamber, Pechanio is the only Chair of the City of Elmhurst’s Veterans Memorial Commission since its inception prior to the Elmhurst Veterans Memorial dedication in Wilder Park on May 31, 1993, and he has co-chaired Elmhurst’s Memorial Day Parade Committee since 1997.
“I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this recognition than Ralph,” stated John R. Quigley, ECCI’s President and CEO since 1999, when he inherited the honor of serving as Pechanio’s Memorial Day Parade Committee Co-Chair. “His contributions to our community in general and to our veterans in particular cannot be overstated.”
Representing more than 50 counties across the state, the 200 honorees are resident of Illinois who have been honorably discharged from a branch of the military. They were evaluated based on their achievements and contributions to their given communities.
A veteran of the United States Army (1965-67), Pechanio played an integral role as Veterans Memorial Fundraising Chairman during his tenure as 1992 ECCI Board Chair (then President).
An ECCI Civic Hall of Fame 2015 inductee, Pechanio has served the business and civic communities since his “retirement” from community banking in 1993.
Pechanio is completing his third straight one-year appointed term as Treasurer for the Elmhurst Chamber Board of Director’s Executive Committee. In his role as Treasurer, he also serves as Chair of the Ways and Means Committee.
His $100,000 gift to Elmhurst College to endow the Ralph P. Pechanio Student Internship Fund as part of the ECCI’s Centennial Celebration Capital Campaign earned Pechanio recognition as the Elmhurst Chamber’s 2017 Chairman’s Awardee.
Pechanio has served three Board terms as an elected Director (1980-82, 1987-89 and 1990-92), including tenures as 1992 Chair and as Treasurer in 1981 and 1990.
A green-coated Chamber Ambassador since 1992, Pechanio is a two-time recipient of the Ambassador of the Year award (2011 and 1993).
Pechanio’s local affiliations include the Kiwanis Club of Elmhurst and Elmhurst American Legion THB Post 187.
His honors include the Elmhurst Jaycees’ Distinguished Service Award (2001), ECCI’s Good Works Award (2009) and the Bluejay Backers’ Community Service Award (2014).
His community banking career included 23 years at the former Elmhurst Federal Savings Bank (1970-93) as a Controller, Vice President and Treasurer, and then Chief Financial Officer.
He graduated from DePaul University in 1964 with a major in accounting.
Pechanio and his wife, Georgette, have resided in Elmhurst since their marriage in 1969.